19 April, 2021

Auditors on notice to reject ‘expectations gap’ consultation

A row over the role of auditors in detecting fraud at client companies has taken a fresh turn, with shareholders set to play a significant role in the ongoing drama. Shareholder advisory body PIRC ...

25 March, 2021

UK stewardship code ‘has not changed the nature of investor engagement’

Traditional forms of company-specific engagement will not happen unless institutional investors face “mandatory legal or regulatory” demands, according to a new paper on the UK stewardship code fr...

18 March, 2021

Audit white paper proposes new powers for regulator to sanction directors

The working landscape for boards is about to be transformed after the government published a white paper with wide-ranging proposals giving regulators new powers to investigate and sanction directors ...

2 March, 2021

FRC: many firms ‘not transparent about their compliance with UK code’

Companies appear to be struggling with governance provisions aimed at managing stakeholder engagement and measures to limit the term of board chairs. The news comes in

1 March, 2021

Will your next annual report come with installation instructions?

The annual report has been a cornerstone of corporate communications for more than 200 years, but while the past two centuries have seen sustained evolution in communications technology, the annual re...

18 February, 2021

FRC backs use of augmented and virtual reality in corporate reporting

Bored of conventional corporate reporting? Tired of flicking through page after page of bland corporate statements and charts? Well, technology experts at a UK financial watchdog might have an answer:...

21 January, 2021

Board evaluations review finds room for improvement

New proposals call on providers of board evaluations to disclose the measures they take to avoid conflicts of interest and to sign up to a new code of conduct. There is also a recommendation that c...

15 January, 2021

‘A systemic risk’: investors demand greater ethnic diversity in boardrooms

In case there was any doubt: it’s time to address the lack of ethnic diversity in boardrooms. The issue has been in the background for some time, but the Black Lives Matter protests in the US, UK...

4 December, 2020

Evidence builds for introduction of new audit committee standards

Audit committees should brace themselves for significant change after a new report prompted the UK audit watchdog to suggest it provides support for the introduction of new audit standards. Accordi...

30 November, 2020

Watchdog’s ire provoked by ‘vague’ purpose statements

Regulators are a little disappointed. While the world is calling on companies to better define their purpose, it’s not going as well as it should. A review of governance statements from 100 UK co...